Known end-effectors attached to robotic apparatuses are used to manipulate a workpiece during manufacturing processes. An end-effector can grasp a workpiece using tool modules, transport the workpiece to a new location, and orient and release the workpiece. The end-effector is preferably adjustable to permit utilization with workpieces of multiple designs, including adjusting the tool modules. It is known to adjust an end-effector for utilization with workpieces of multiple designs by manually adjusting tool modules of the end-effector. Manually adjusting the tool modules of the end-effector is known to consume time and can be prone to errors. Applications of robotic apparatuses with end-effectors can encompass material handling, manufacturing, packaging, and testing.
Known workpieces handled by an end-effector include parts or sheet metal panels that are shaped in three dimensional forms and have large changes of slope and elevation. It can be impractical to design an end-effector with excessively large height extension and swivel angle for tool modules that self-conform to a workpiece.
An end-effector is connected to a robotic arm with a master boom and adapter to move a workpiece into and out of an associated processing station such as a stamping machine and dies. With limited die opening and three dimensional die shapes, a flat end-effector frame with a straight boom may interfere with the dies and machine frames during movement of the workpiece.
End-effectors include tool modules having dress packages that house and route vacuum hoses and electric conduits. The hoses and electric cables are conduits for compressed air, hydraulic fluids, and electricity to actuate devices, e.g., vacuum cups and mechanical grippers mounted on their ends. Known dress packages are tie-wrapped or otherwise attached onto the frame of the end-effector. A change or reconfiguration of a tool module on an end-effector requires releasing the tie-wraps to effect such a change. Other known dress packages for tool modules mounted on end-effectors include the hoses loosely held with some slackness for adjustment or movement of gripping components. Hoses and power cables designed to permit a wide range of motion of one of the tool modules can tangle and interfere with other hoses and power cables. Issues related to dress packaging include permitting setup flexibility for the end-effector and the tool modules, uninterrupted mobility of the end-effector during operation, machine setup time during reconfiguration for a workpiece, and maintainability during life of the equipment.